


A Promise

by steggyistruelove



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Queen's Shadow - E. K. Johnston
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:34:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyistruelove/pseuds/steggyistruelove
Summary: Sabé makes A promise to Padmé.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Sabé, Padmé Amidala/Sabé
Kudos: 21





	A Promise

She rushes into the room, not her normal collected stride, but one of panic and fear.

Her lady, her best friend in the entire galaxy, the woman she loved in every sense of the word lays on the examination table, dying.

“Sabé.” Padmé’s voice is weak and strained and her skin is eerily white.

The handmaiden crosses the room and grabs her lady’s hand, it feels so cold.

“My lady.” Her voice is low but full of concern for the welfare of the woman Sabé has been closest to since they were fourteen years old.

“You came,” Padmé cracks a small smile, it is fleeting but there, and Sabé smiles back to reassure her that everything is fine.

“Of course, I did,” the handmaiden says she’d come whenever Padmé needed her, summoned of not she had been her protector for many years, and although she could not protect her from this, Sabé would still try.

“You’re going to be fine,” the handmaiden says firmly as if willing it to be would make it so.

“You’ll see, we’ve been through worse scrapes than this.” Padmé laughs, not her usual ringing laugh but one much weaker, she looks at Sabé sadly and then squeezes her hand with what little strength she has.

“Have they shown you the babies yet?” The senator asks changing the subject from her demise effortlessly, she didn’t want to talk about it, to give Sabé false hope that she would recover.

“Babies?” The dimming light in Padmé’s eyes brightens at the mention of her children.

“They didn’t tell you. It’s twins, a boy, and a girl, I’ve named them Luke and Leia.” Padmé says before the light in her eyes dims again.

_Luke._ Light giving.

And _Leia._ Child of Heaven.

Names are not to be taken or given lightly on Naboo, a name has power, Padmé has chosen her children’s names well.

“Promise me, you’ll protect them when I’m gone,” Padmé says even weaker than before. As if just talking about the ones she’d given life to was draining her.

“No, I won’t, because you’re going to live and protect them yourself.” Sabé insists, her lady was stronger than this!

“Promise me.” Padmé’s voice is quieter now, but still firm in her resolve. Sabé feels tears burn behind her eyes but holds them back.

“I promise.”

Obi-Wan enters the room, cradling a bundle in his arms, Sabé looks up and realizes that it’s one of the twins brought to say goodbye to their dying mother.

“Obi-Wan,” Padmé’s voice is so quiet now that Sabé can barely hear it, the Jedi master holds out the baby for Sabé to take so that he can hold Padmé’s hand.

Taking the infant, Sabé stares amazed at the little life in her arms, this is a piece of her lady, even if he is partly Anakin Skywalker, this child would carry on the legacy Padmé had built.

“Obi-Wan... there... is good in him. I know there is... still...” and just like that Padmé Amidala Naberrie fades from the galaxy, like a snuffed-out light.

“No!” Sabé’s cry upsets the child in her arms, but she pays them no attention, she wants to shake Padmé and demand she come back, but it is too late, she is gone.

* * *

The rest of the interaction is a blur, someone takes the baby from Sabé, and she is ushered into a room with several other people, among them, Bail Organa and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but other Jedi as well. Sabé is so numb she can’t follow the conversation until she hears Bail Organa say he’ll take the girl to Alderaan to be raised by himself and his wife.

Alderaan is as good a planet as any for Leia to grow up, they were a peaceful, neutral planet much like Naboo.

“And the boy?” Someone says and Sabé’s back straightens.

“I will take him,” she hears herself say, daring anyone to object to her plan which is already unfolding itself in her mind as she speaks.

“He is my lady’s son, I will take him somewhere, where no one will find us, and I will raise him as my blood.” There is a moment of silence as everyone looks at each other, as if unsure.

“And I will go with you, for protection,” Obi-Wan says breaking the silence, Sabé looks at him and nods her thanks, she may be the best shot with a blaster, but what was that compared to the protection of a Jedi Knight?

“Difficult it will be,” Says Master Yoda his wise, beady eyes taking Sabé in as if sizing her up to determine if she is worthy of raising Padmé’s son.

“I am prepared,”

* * *

Half an hour later, Sabé is boarding a ship bound for Tatooine at Obi-Wan’s suggestion, with Luke in her arms. Obi-Wan or Ben as she is now to call him, watches her with the baby with a mild fascination.

“You’re quite good with him.” He says when Sabé rocks a whimpering Luke back to sleep. The former handmaiden looks up from her sleeping charge.

“Padmé had nieces, and one of my fellow handmaidens adopted a bunch of children, you learn quickly. Besides, I’m his Aunt Tsabin.”

“Aunt Tsabin, not his mother?” Sabé looks at Obi-Wan unblinkingly.

“I never can and never will replace his mother. No, I’m Aunt Tsabin.” She says seriously, the idea that she could ever allow Padmé’s son to call her mother is ridiculous. She is happy to just be Luke’s aunt.

“And you’ll be Uncle Ben.” At this, Obi-Wan begins to sputter, that he could not possibly be Uncle Ben, but Sabé silences him with a look.

“How else are we going to explain your presence? You will be Uncle Ben, that’s all there is to it.” She says, before looking back at Luke who is sleeping peacefully.

“There’s a safe house where we can go, we’ll have to keep to ourselves at first, but with Luke being so small I don’t see that being a problem.”

There is a silence for a beat, while Luke slept on blissfully.

But then Obi-Wan spoke again.

“What will you tell him about his father?” Sabé considers the question for a moment before answering.

“His mother is dead, and I imagine if he’s not already, his father soon will be.” Obi-Wan doesn’t say anything just looks away.

“It will be alright; we’ll be his family,” Sabé reassured him, she had promised to love Luke as her own, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She was going to keep her promise to Padmé, no matter the personal cost.


End file.
